Head-mounted displays exist that allow a user to see the surrounding environment as well as content rendered by the head-mounted display. Some head-mounted displays are capable of rendering content at varying focal distances. With existing eye-tracking technology, it is possible to determine the direction in which a user is looking and the focal distance between the user's eyes and the point in space on which the user's gaze is focused. There are numerous instances in which it is desirable to provide a visual, informational notification to a user via a head-mounted display without obscuring the user's view of the surrounding environment. The typical approach is to display informational notifications at the edges of the user's field of vision. However, displaying informational notifications at the edges of the user's field of vision may block the user's peripheral vision or may distract the user.
Accordingly, there is a need for displaying out of focus notifications on a head-mounted display.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.